High tonnage trailer combination, trailer components, and method of use

ABSTRACT

A trailer combination and trailer components are designed to provide dual functionality in terms of hauling a very high tonnage piece of heavy equipment and the ability to continue to haul more typical pieces of heavy equipment. To accomplish this task, a trailer auxiliary is provided that is adapted to connect to a typical low boy trailer. The trailer auxiliary is equipped with mechanisms to provide a bed assembly that is designed to link to the low boy trailer so that the bed assembly and bed of the trailer auxiliary receive the high tonnage piece of equipment. The trailer auxiliary can be equipped with ramps to interface with the trailer and auxiliary to facilitate the loading of the heavy equipment. The trailer combination also includes a hauling vehicle for each of the low boy trailer and auxiliary, with a spacing bar assembly mounted to one of the vehicles to link the vehicles together when hauling the trailer and the auxiliary.

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) based on61/071,505 filed on May 2, 2008 and this application is herebyincorporated in its entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a high tonnage trailer combinationand components, and particularly to the combination of a low boy trailerand trailer auxiliary, which when combined, permit the hauling of hightonnage equipment while still retaining the functionality of the low boytrailer for hauling lower tonnage equipment.

BACKGROUND ART

In the mining industry, low boy trailers are often used to move heavyequipment such as shovels and the like from one location to another.Typically, this equipment is in the weight range of up to 800 tons.However, certain shovels weigh in excess of 1000 tons and these trailersare incapable of moving such equipment. Thus, the mine is limited tomoving this type of heavy equipment on its own, which takes aninordinate amount of time and hampers mining productivity.

Low boy trailers to haul high tonnage equipment have been proposed tothe mining industry in the past. These trailers have been proposed withthe capability of hauling up to 1500 tons, e.g., a mining shovel.However, these trailers have not been accepted by the mines for a numberof reasons. A low boy trailer designed to haul equipment in the 1500 tonrange is about 38 feet wide, which is much greater in width than the 24foot wide hauling vehicles. The overall length of approximately 171 feetfor such a trailer is also impractical.

In addition, the cost of the equipment cannot be justified for the fewutilizations of the trailer over time. Such a trailer runs millions ofdollars and mine operations cannot justify the high cost of such atrailer for its limited use.

In addition, these 1500 ton capacity trailers require a primary moverand a jeep. However, a primary mover and jeep combination is notpractical for use as a tow truck. It is also too long and cumbersome foreveryday use to utilize with lower tonnage trailers.

Thus, a need still exists to create a means to move this high tonnageequipment in an economical way so that the cost of acquiring thiscapability will be acceptable to mine operators. The present inventionsolves this need by the creation of a trailer combination that combinesa low boy trailer designed to haul the majority of the heavy equipmentused at a mine but is specially modified with a trailer auxiliary that,when coupled with the modified low boy trailer and modified haulingvehicles, permits heavy equipment, e.g., a 1500 ton mining shovel(incapable of being towed with present day low boy trailers) to bemoved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One object of the invention is to provide a trailer combination thatpermits the moving of high tonnage equipment, while still maintainingthe flexibility to move equipment of lesser weight.

Another object of the invention is a method of moving the high tonnageequipment using the trailer assembly of the invention.

The inventive trailer assembly includes a number of components that areeach uniquely modified to meet the goals of the invention.

The components of the trailer combination include a low boy trailer,which is designed to haul equipment of a first tonnage range. This lowboy trailer has a hitch, trailer bed, and trailer wheels. The hitch isadapted to connect to a hitching mechanism on a trailer hauling vehicle.

A second component of the trailer combination is a trailer auxiliary.This auxiliary is designed to link to the low boy trailer and provide atrailer bed for the high tonnage equipment to be hauled. The trailerauxiliary has a frame with a pivotable shovel bed, hitch, and trailerwheels. The trailer auxiliary has means to link the shovel bed to thelow boy trailer so that the trailer auxiliary and low boy trailer intandem provide a high tonnage trailer for hauling equipment incapable ofbeing hauled by either one alone.

In addition to the low boy trailer and trailer auxiliary, a pair ofhauling vehicles are needed to tow the trailers. A first hauling vehicleis used to hitch to the low boy trailer and a second hauling vehicle isused to hitch to the trailer auxiliary. The second hauling vehicle isspecially adapted with means for connecting to the first haulingvehicle, and particularly to the hitching mechanism on the first haulingvehicle. It is also desirable to include the necessary controls on thesecond hauling vehicle to coordinate the hitching and hauling operationwhen the high tonnage equipment is being moved. The first haulingvehicle can be modified to connect to the second hauling vehicle orexisting features of the hauling vehicle can be used for the connection.

In use, the trailer auxiliary is connected to low boy trailer so thatthe shovel bed of the auxiliary is placed over the center line of thelow boy trailer. The bed of the auxiliary is configured so that theheavy equipment is aligned with the main frame of the auxiliary. In thisway, the center line of each trailer provides the support for the hightonnage equipment. Ramps are positioned at the hitch end of each of thelow boy trailer and the trailer auxiliary and the high tonnage equipmentis loaded onto the linked trailer and auxiliary. The hauling vehiclesare then positioned next to each other for the respective hitching tothe trailer and auxiliary. The hauling vehicles are linked together andthe hitching to the trailer and auxiliary is completed so that the twohauling vehicles can tow the trailer and auxiliary and move the hightonnage equipment to its desired location.

The invention provides several unique advantages that permit the mineoperator to have the capability of hauling high tonnage equipment atonly the cost of the trailer auxiliary, modifications to an existing lowboy trailer, and modifications to the hauling vehicle intended to towthe trailer auxiliary. Modifications could also be made to the haulingvehicle intended to tow the low boy trailer. Other advantages aredescribed below.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A shows a schematic of a prior art low boy trailer and a haulingvehicle;

FIG. 1B shows a schematic of the trailer assembly of the invention in anexemplary use;

FIG. 1C showing a prior art hauling vehicle functioning as a two truckfor a disabled vehicle.

FIG. 2A shows a schematic drawing of the trailer auxiliary.

FIG. 2B shows a sectional view along the line II-II of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3 shows the combination of the trailer auxiliary and the low boytrailer in an unattached mode.

FIG. 4 shows the combination of the trailer auxiliary and the low boytrailer shown in FIG. 3 in an attached mode.

FIG. 5 shows the combination of the trailer auxiliary and the low boytrailer in an attached mode with the ramps in place for equipmentloading in the operative position.

FIG. 6 shows the combination of the trailer auxiliary and the low boytrailer in an attached mode and the hauling vehicles in a connectedmode.

FIG. 7 shows a view along line 7-7 of FIG. 6 of the spacing bar.

FIG. 8 shows the spacing bar of FIG. 7 in a folded and retractedposition.

FIG. 9 shows an enlarged view along the line 9-9 of the end of thespacing bar of FIGS. 7 and 8 in connection with the gooseneck of thetowing vehicle.

FIG. 10 shows a top view of a low tonnage prior art trailer.

FIG. 11 shows the trailer of FIG. 10 in combination with a unshapedtrailer auxiliary to increase the tonnage capacity of the trailer ofFIG. 10.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1B and 2-9 show one preferred embodiment of the invention.However, as explained below, several of the features and functions ofthe preferred embodiment can be accomplished in alternative ways so thatthe specific means and other features of the Figures are not intended tobe the sole manner in which the aim of the invention can be obtained.

As noted above, one aspect of the invention includes: (1) the trailerauxiliary; (2) the trailer auxiliary in combination with the low boytrailer as an assembly; (3) the combination of the hauling vehicles, thetrailer and the auxiliary; (4) and the method of hauling the heavyequipment. Other features of the invention include the spacing barassembly that links and maintains the positional relationship betweenthe hauling vehicles as well as the unique arrangement of the loadingramps for use during the hauling operation.

With reference to FIGS. 1A-1C, the assembly 10 is depicted in aschematic fashion. The low boy trailer 1 is shown with its trailer bed3, trailer wheels 5, and hitch 7. The basic design of this trailer isshown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,287,947 to Smith, which is incorporated byreference. The first hauling vehicle 9, which is considered to be thesecondary hauler, is also depicted hitched to a prior art low boytrailer 1 in FIG. 1A. The hitching of the first hauling vehicle 9 andthe trailer 1 can be any type. A preferred type is thegooseneck/grabhook hitching mechanism disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,435,586 to Smith (the grab hook patent), which is also incorporated byreference herein.

The trailer auxiliary 11 is also shown with its bed 13, wheels 15, andhitch 17. The second hauling vehicle 19 (characterized as the primary)is also shown. The hitching between the vehicle 19 and auxiliary 11 canalso be any type but it is preferred to use the hitching used in theSmith grab hook patent noted above.

FIGS. 1B and 1C also show the uses of the hauling vehicles 9 and 19. Forexample, the secondary hauling vehicle 9 can tow lower tonnage heavyequipment on the trailer 1 as is the common practice in the miningindustry. The primary hauling vehicle 19 can also be used in the samefashion or as a tow truck for a disabled vehicle 21, see FIG. 1C. FIG.1B shows the inventive trailer assembly with a high tonnage piece ofequipment being hauled.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show the auxiliary 11 with its bed 13 mounted on itsmain frame 23, which is aligned with a center line of the auxiliary 11.A shovel bed assembly 25 is shown that is pivotally and longitudinallymounted to the bed 13. The shovel bed assembly 25 has a bed 27, bedguides 29, and low boy trailer grab hook mechanism 31. The bed assembly25 has a pivoting mechanism 33, which allows the bed 27 to be in astorage position as shown in FIG. 2B and an operative position as shownin FIG. 4. The bed guides 29 and grab hook mechanism 31 work to link thelow boy trailer 1 and auxiliary 11 together as described below.

The auxiliary 11 can also include the ramps necessary for loading of theequipment. The ramps are shown as the low boy trailer ramp assembly 35and the auxiliary ramp assembly 37. The ramp assembly 35 includes a ramp39, which is pivotally mounted to the auxiliary 11. The ramp 39 is shownin the storage position, i.e., vertical, in FIG. 2A, and pivots towardthe low boy trailer 1 when the trailer 1 is linked to the auxiliary 11.Ramp assembly 37 is similarly constructed with ramp 41, which ispivotally mounted to the auxiliary 11. The difference between the twoassemblies 35 and 37 is the length of the pivot arm, since the travel ofthe ramp 39 to cover the hitch of the trailer 1 is greater than thetravel of the ramp 41 to cover the hitch 17 of the auxiliary. It shouldbe noted that each ramp is designed to be positioned along therespective center lines or main frames of the trailer and auxiliary.This distributes the weight of the high tonnage equipment along the mainframes of the trailer and auxiliary. While incorporating the ramps withthe trailer auxiliary 11 makes the loading operation more convenient,the ramps could be supplied separate from the auxiliary if so desired.Thus, the ramps would not be pivotally linked to the auxiliary 11 butstored somewhere else or elsewhere on the auxiliary and positioned inplace using some equipment for the loading operation. It is quiteadvantageous to incorporate the ramps 39 and 41 into the auxiliary 11 sothat they are readily available for use in the hauling operation. Thepivoting arrangement is also beneficial since no other additionalequipment is needed to position the ramps in place. While a particularpivoting arrangement is shown, other mechanism could be used to positionthe ramps in their appropriate places to enable loading of the heavyequipment onto the trailer 1 and auxiliary 11.

FIG. 3 shows the trailer 1, auxiliary 11, hauling vehicle 9, and haulingvehicle 19 as well as the various means for linking the trailer andauxiliary together as well linking the hauling vehicles together.

The low boy trailer bed 3 has clearances 43 to receive the bed guides 29of the shovel bed assembly 25, when the shovel bed 27 is positioned overthe low boy trailer bed 3. The trailer 1 also has a shaft 45 to receivethe grab hook 31 on the shovel bed. It should be noted that while thebed guides, grab hook, clearances, and shaft function together as themeans for attaching the trailer 1 and auxiliary 11 together, othermechanisms can be employed to link the bed 27 to the trailer 1 as wouldbe within the skill of the art. For example, the grab hook mechanism 31on the shovel bed assembly 25 could be configured to latch onto anexisting part of the low boy trailer 1 so that a special shaft would nothave to be added to the trailer 1. Similarly, the bed assembly 25 couldhave guides configured to engage existing features of the trailer 1.

The hauling vehicle 19 has a spacing bar assembly 47 that creates andmaintains a connection between the vehicle 19 and the vehicle 9 fortowing. The spacing bar assembly 47 is shown in the storage position inFIG. 3 and its operation will be described later. The spacing barassembly should be robust in design so as to maintain the connectionbetween the two vehicles 9 and 19. It should also be capable ofmaintaining a clearance between the two vehicles when they travel.Preferably, the clearance will be +3 inches. The spacing bar assembly isalso made strong enough to avoid imposition of side loads on thegooseneck hitching mechanisms found on the vehicles. This is importantsince the goosenecks are not designed to handle excessive side loads sothat the spacing bar should be robust enough to prevent this fromhappening.

The hauling vehicle 9 can be equipped with a shaft 49 to provide alocating surface for the spacing bar assembly 47 to connect to thevehicle 9. While an additional 49 shaft is provided to the hitchingmechanism 51 of the vehicle 9, the spacing bar assembly could be adaptedto connect to an existing part of the hitching mechanism 51 or someother component of the vehicle 9, similar to the attachment describedabove for the shovel bed assembly 25. In this latter mode, no specialadaptation would be required for the vehicle 9.

A sensing assembly 53 is also shown in FIG. 3. This sensing assemblymonitors the spacing between the two vehicles and provides a readout tothe operator of the vehicle 19 so as to provide a signal to coordinatethe steering of the vehicle 1 during hauling. The details of the sensingassembly and its coordination of the operations of the vehicles arediscussed below.

FIG. 4 shows the trailer 1 and auxiliary 11 with the shovel bed assemblylinked to the trailer 1 and the vehicles 9 and 19 hitched to the trailer1 and auxiliary 11, respectively, so that the vehicles are ready to haulthe load on the trailer 1 and auxiliary. The equipment loaded on thetrailer 1 and auxiliary 11 is not shown for clarity purpose. The spacingbar assembly 47 is still shown in the stored position in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 shows the trailer 1 and auxiliary 11 ready for loading but beforethe hitching of the hauling vehicles 9 and 19. The ramp 39 is shown inthe operative position over the hitch 7 of the trailer 1 with ramp 41shown in the operative position over the hitch 17 of the auxiliary 11.It can be seen here that the ramps align with the center line of each ofthe trailer 1 and auxiliary 11 so that the load of the equipment to beloaded is centered on the main frame of the trailer 1 and auxiliary 11.FIG. 5 also shows the grab hook 45 latching onto the shaft 49 on thetrailer 1.

FIG. 6-9 shows the action of the spacing bar assembly 47 in connectingthe vehicles 9 and 19. The spacing bar assembly 47 is made up oftelescoping assembly 55 with sliding member 56, a hinge 57, a pivotingmechanism 59 for the hinge, a fixed member 61 with a grab hook 63 on itsfree end and a grab hook pivoting mechanism 65. In the storage position,see FIG. 8, the telescoping assembly inner member 56 is retracted andthe fixed member 61 is pivoted using the mechanism 59 so that it ispositioned over the telescoping assembly 55. In the attaching operation,the inner member 56 is telescoped outward using the two outboard slidecylinders 58, see FIG. 6. This telescoping action moves the fixed member61 and its pivoting mechanism toward the hauling vehicle 9. The fixedmember 61 pivots by action of the pivoting mechanism 59, see FIG. 8, sothat the grab hook 63 is positioned to grab the shaft 69 mounted to thehitching mechanism of vehicle 9. The grab hook 63 is pivoted using themechanism 65 to engage the shaft 69 and provide a positive locking ofthe shaft and secure connection between the vehicles 9 and 19. Theadvantage of using the grab hook is that it is forgiving in that it doesnot require the same spacing between the vehicles each time. This is thesame principle explained in the grab hook hitching mechanism describedin the Smith patent above.

As mentioned above, the sensing assembly 53 works to monitor the spacingbetween the vehicles. The assembly 53 includes a sensor 71 and a spacingbar 73. The sensor in combination with the spacing bar determines thespacing between the vehicles for a number of purposes. The spacing canbe monitored when the vehicles are being aligned for hauling. Inaddition, spacing can be monitored during the hauling operation foroperator control. Knowing the spacing during the hauling operation willallow the operators of the vehicles to make the necessary adjustments insteering, speed, etc. so that the hauling operation functions withoutproblems.

While the sensor is shown on the vehicle 9 and the spacing bar is shownon the vehicle 19, this arrangement could be reversed. In addition,other types of sensing means may be used to determine the spacingbetween the vehicles.

In the stored position, the telescoping action of the spacing barassembly 47 is important so that its presence does not interfere withthe operation of the vehicle 19 in other uses. For example, if thespacing bar assembly 47 did not employ the hinge feature and the grabhook just extended to the end of the vehicle wheels in the storedposition, the spacing bar assembly would likely interfere with themovement of hitching mechanism, since it rotates as is described in theSmith gooseneck patent mentioned above.

The spacing bar assembly 47 also functions as a carrier for the hoses,lifelines, and wires necessary to coordinate the vehicles duringoperation. Also, each of the vehicles and trailer and auxiliary willhave the necessary electronics and other means to coordinate the powerapplication, braking application, lifting at the goosenecks, steeringcoordination and/or signals to assist the operator the first vehicle 9to manually steer in formation with the operator of the vehicle 19,which would normally be the lead vehicle since the hoses and wiresfacilitating control emanate therefrom.

It should be understood that the spacing bar is just one example of ameans for connecting the two vehicles for the hauling operation. Othermechanisms could be employed to link the vehicle together so that thetrailer 1 and auxiliary 11 can be hauled together to move the hightonnage piece of equipment. Also, while the spacing bar assembly 47 isshown mounted to the hauling vehicle 19, it could be mounted to thevehicle 9 so that the manner of mounting and direction of movement wouldbe reversed. That is, in the FIG. 6 embodiment, the spacing bar assemblyis designed to travel away from the driver's side of the vehicle 19 ortoward the vehicle 9. If the spacing bar assembly or any other mechanismwere employed on vehicle 9, travel of the assembly for linking to thevehicle 19 would occur in the opposite direction as shown in FIG. 6 ortoward the vehicle 19 as it sits adjacent to vehicle 9. Also, thespacing bar assembly 47 could be made to rotate 180° so that the vehiclecarrying the spacing bar assembly could be used to hitch to either theauxiliary or the trailer.

If necessary, another power unit can be placed on the trailer and/orauxiliary to assist in moving the equipment.

The invention has significant number of advantages over the high tonnagesingle unit trailers proposed in the past.

Each of the trailer and auxiliary is approximately 24 feet wide, whichmakes them similar to existing mine equipment. Each of the trailer andauxiliary travels independently and separately, even to the point ofloading the high tonnage equipment. The only extreme overwidth situationis when the shovel is actually being transported, e.g., 49 feet, similarto moving a trailer home on a highway.

Using the combination of the trailer and auxiliary, the vehicles andtheir hitching mechanisms are of standard size (no jeeps as required forthe single unit) and each vehicle can be used for all low boy and towtruck applications in the range of 200-800 tons.

The low boy trailer can accommodate normal loads such as 600-800 tonsbut also functions to move lower tonnage loads, e.g., 400 tons andlower.

The vehicle 19 can be used as a backup for vehicle 9 for moving thetrailer 1, or as a tow truck, or to haul lower capacity low boytrailers, 150-300 tons.

By making the auxiliary solely adapted to be carry one half of the heavyequipment load, the cost of the auxiliary is much less than the cost fora fully functional low boy trailer. As can be seen in FIG. 5 forexample, the bed 13 of the auxiliary is sized to that it only has toaccommodate the load of the heavy equipment over the frame and centerline of the auxiliary. The width of the bed is less than the overallwidth of the auxiliary including the wheels 15. This contrasts with thetypical low boy trailer bed width that generally matches the overallwidth of the trailer as defined by the wheels 5.

In use, the inventive trailer combination can haul a high tonnage pieceof heavy equipment by positioning the shovel bed over a main frame ofthe low boy trailer and linking the shovel bed to the low boy trailer.The ramps are positioned at ends of each of the low boy trailer and lowboy trailer auxiliary for loading the piece of heavy equipment on thelow boy trailer and low boy trailer auxiliary. A first hauling vehicleis hitched to the low boy trailer and a second hauling vehicle ishitched to the low boy trailer auxiliary. The first and second haulingvehicles are connected together, and the low boy trailer and low boytrailer auxiliary are hauled to a location.

Referring now to FIGS. 10 and 11, another embodiment of the invention isshown wherein a typical low boy trailer adapted for low tonnage use,e.g., 450 ton use, can be modified so that it can handle larger loads,e.g., 800 ton loads. A low boy trailer 81 is shown in FIG. 10. It shouldbe noted that the low boy trailer 81 differs from the low boy trailer 1of FIG. 1A in that it has only one rear axle, thus the lower tonnageuse.

A trailer auxiliary 87 is shown in FIG. 10, which is essentiallyu-shaped. The u-shape creates a space intended to receive the low boytrailer 81 as shown. The u-shape of the auxiliary 87 is formed by thesides 89, rear 91, axle assembly 93, and ramps 95. The auxiliary 87 isalso equipped with means for linking the auxiliary to the low boytrailer 81. These means are illustrated as a number of grab hookassemblies 97. Four of the grab hook assemblies function to link thesides 89 of the auxiliary 87 to be bed 99 of the trailer 81. Two othergrab hook assemblies 98 link the axle assembly 93 to the axle assembly86 of the trailer 81. In the illustrated embodiment, the grab hooks areon the auxiliary, and either special members on the trailers areprovided to receive the grab hooks, or the grab hook assemblies arespecially modified to latch onto an existing member of the trailer.While grab hook assemblies are shown mounted to the auxiliary and areillustrated as an example of the means in which to link the trailer 81and the auxiliary 87, other mechanisms as would be known in the artcould also be employed. The advantage of the grab hook is its strong andpowerful locking capability. Also, while the grab hook assemblies aredescribed as being on the auxiliary, the main mechanism for linking thetwo components together could be found on the low boy trailer 81.

By linking the auxiliary 87 to the trailer 81, the tonnage capacity ofthe trailer 81 is significantly increased. At the same time, thiscapability is achieved only at the cost of the auxiliary 87, which ismuch less than if another trailer at a higher tonnage were to beacquired. In the linked state, the combination of the low boy trailer 81and auxiliary 87 receives the weight of the load being hauled on thebed. If desired, additional support members can be provided between thesides 89 of the auxiliary 87 and the bed 99 of the trailer 81 to furthersupport the load being hauled. For example, one or more support memberscould be mounted along the length and to the underside of the sides 89.These members could then be extended to engage the low boy trailerbeneath the bed 99 to provide additional support during hauling.

Axle assembly 93 can optionally have a suspension to be able to equalizethe loads between the axles.

In use of the embodiment of FIGS. 10 and 11, a piece of equipment can behauled by positioning the low boy trailer inside a space created by theu-shaped auxiliary and linking the low boy trailer to the unshapedauxiliary, hitching a hauling vehicle to a hitch of the low boy trailerand hauling the low boy trailer and u-shaped auxiliary to a desiredlocation. Of course, equipment can be loaded on the trailer combinationonce the two components are linked together and prior to the haulingstep.

As such, an invention has been disclosed in terms of preferredembodiments thereof which fulfills each and every one of the objects ofthe present invention as set forth above and provides a new and improvedtrailer designs for hauling high tonnage equipment.

Of course, various changes, modifications and alterations from theteachings of the present invention may be contemplated by those skilledin the art without departing from the intended spirit and scope thereof.It is intended that the present invention only be limited by the termsof the appended claims.

1. A low boy trailer assembly comprising: a low boy trailer having atrailer bed, a trailer hitch on a first end of the trailer bed, andtrailer wheels at a second end of the trailer bed opposite the firstend, a low boy trailer auxiliary having a bed, a hitch on a first end ofthe bed, trailer wheels at a second end of the bed opposite the firstend, the low boy trailer auxiliary further comprising; a shovel bedmovably mounted to the auxiliary bed, and means for connecting theshovel bed to the low boy trailer when the trailer auxiliary bed islongitudinally adjacent to the trailer bed, whereby heavy equipment canbe loaded onto the bed of the auxiliary and the shovel bed connected tothe low boy trailer for hauling by hauling vehicles connected to thehitches of the trailer and auxiliary.
 2. The trailer assembly of claim1, further comprising a pair of first and second ramps, the first rampadapted to provide a path for loading of the heavy equipment onto theauxiliary and a second ramp adapted to provide a path for loading of theheavy equipment onto the low boy trailer.
 3. The trailer assembly ofclaim 2, wherein the first ramp is movably mounted to the trailerauxiliary at the first end, the movable mounting of the first ramparranged so that the first ramp is aligned with a center line of thetrailer auxiliary in an operative position so as to provide the path forheavy equipment to be loaded onto the trailer auxiliary, and the secondramp is movably mounted to the trailer auxiliary so that the second rampis aligned with a center line of the low boy trailer in an operativeposition so as to provide the path for heavy equipment to be loaded ontothe low boy trailer.
 4. A trailer and vehicle combination comprising thetrailer assembly of claim 1 and a first hauling vehicle having ahitching mechanism adapted to connect to the hitch of the low boytrailer, a second hauling vehicle having a hitching mechanism adapted toconnect to the hitch of the low boy trailer auxiliary, and means forconnecting the first and second hauling vehicles together, whereby thefirst and second hauling vehicles can pull the low boy trailer and lowboy trailer auxiliary when each of the trailer and auxiliary are loadedwith a piece of heavy equipment.
 5. The combination of claim 4, whereinthe connecting means further comprises a spacing bar assembly mounted tothe second hauling vehicle, the spacing bar having a first extendablemember, a second pivoting member, and a grab hook mounted to an end ofthe second pivoting member and configured to latch to a hook receivingmember mounted to the first hauling vehicle.
 6. The combination of claim4, further comprising means for sensing the distance between the low boytrailer and the low boy trailer auxiliary.
 7. The combination of claim4, wherein the second hauling vehicle is equipped with means forcoordinating operations of the first and second hauling vehicletrailers.
 8. The trailer assembly of claim 1, wherein the means forconnecting the shovel bed to the low boy trailer further comprises aplurality of bed guides extending from the shovel bed and configured toengage guide openings in the trailer bed of the low boy trailer and atleast one grab hook mounted to the shovel bed and configured to engage agrab hook receiving member on the trailer bed of the low boy trailer 9.A low boy trailer auxiliary adapted for use with a low boy trailer tohaul heavy equipment comprising: a bed; a hitch on a first end of thebed; trailer wheels at a second end of the bed opposite the first end; ashovel bed mounted to the bed, and means for connecting the shovel bedto an adjacent low boy trailer when the trailer auxiliary bed islongitudinally adjacent to the trailer bed so that the bed of thetrailer auxiliary and shovel bed connected to the adjacent low boytrailer can receive a piece of heavy equipment for hauling by a pair ofconnected hauling vehicles respectively hitched to the trailer auxiliaryand the low boy trailer.
 10. The auxiliary of claim 9, wherein the bedcomprises a heavy equipment load bearing surface positioned along acenter line of the auxiliary trailer, the bed having a width that makesit functional to carry the heavy equipment when connected to an adjacentlow boy trailer, but incapable of functioning as a trailer on its own.11. The auxiliary of claim 9, further comprising a pair of first andsecond ramps, the first ramp adapted to provide a path for loading ofthe heavy equipment onto the auxiliary and a second ramp adapted toprovide a path for loading of the heavy equipment onto the low boytrailer.
 12. The auxiliary of claim 11, wherein the first ramp ismovably mounted to the trailer auxiliary at the first end, the movablemounting of the first ramp arranged so that the first ramp is alignedwith a center line of the trailer auxiliary in an operative position soas to provide the path for heavy equipment to be loaded onto the trailerauxiliary, and the second ramp is movably mounted to the trailerauxiliary so that the second ramp is aligned with a center line of thelow boy trailer in an operative position so as to provide the path forheavy equipment to be loaded onto the low boy trailer.
 13. A method ofhauling a high tonnage piece of heavy equipment comprising: providing alow boy trailer having a first tonnage capacity; providing a low boytrailer auxiliary, the low boy trailer auxiliary containing a bed andshovel bed, positioning the shovel bed over a main frame of the low boytrailer and linking the shovel bed to the low boy trailer, positioningramps at ends of each of the low boy trailer and low boy trailerauxiliary and loading the piece of heavy equipment on the low boytrailer and low boy trailer auxiliary, hitching a first hauling vehicleto the low boy trailer, hitching a second hauling vehicle to the low boytrailer auxiliary; connecting the first and second hauling vehiclestogether, and hauling the low boy trailer and low boy trailer auxiliaryto a location.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the distance betweenthe low boy trailer and low boy trailer auxiliary is sensed during atleast the hauling step.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the rampsare mounted to the auxiliary and moved between a storage position to anoperating position at ends of the low boy trailer and auxiliary.
 16. Atrailer combination comprising a low boy trailer and a u-shapedauxiliary, the u-shaped auxiliary having sides, a rear, an axleassembly, the combination further comprising means to link the u-shapedauxiliary and low boy trailer together.
 17. The trailer combination ofclaim 16, wherein the linking means are a plurality of grab hookassemblies mounted to the auxiliary trailer, a grab hook of eachassembly adapted to engage a member on the low boy trailer.
 18. Au-shaped trailer auxiliary comprising opposing sides, a rear, an axleassembly and means to link the u-shaped auxiliary to a low boy trailer.19. The u-shaped trailer auxiliary of claim 18, wherein the linkingmeans are a plurality of grab hook assemblies mounted to the auxiliarytrailer, a grab hook of each assembly adapted to engage a member on thelow boy trailer for linking purposes.
 20. A method of hauling a piece ofequipment comprising: providing a low boy trailer, providing theunshaped auxiliary of claim 19, positioning the low boy trailer inside aspace created by the u-shaped auxiliary and linking the low boy trailerto the u-shaped auxiliary to form a trailer combination, and loading theequipment on the trailer combination and hitching a hauling vehicle to ahitch of the low boy trailer and hauling the trailer combination to alocation.